


Familiar

by Kath (KathWolfie)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), M/M, Slice of Life, Team Physician!Daichi, Volleyball player!Bokuto, daichirarepairweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 12:20:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9657254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KathWolfie/pseuds/Kath
Summary: Sometimes Sawamura tapes Koutaro’s fingers all gentle and precise or measures his blood pressure only to hit Koutaro in the arm, hissing something about irresponsibility and lack of self-care.





	

**Author's Note:**

> **For Daichi Rarepair Week - Day 1**
> 
>  
> 
>  **Prompt: Same Team AU** (or more like a variation, bc for a second there I wanted to also use ‘Injury’ prompt and look where it got me. Though technically they are on the same team here).
> 
> Unbeta’ed. Please forgive me for I probably have sinned with grammar in this one.

When Karasuno’s ex-captain is introduced to the team as the new member of their staff, Koutarou is surprised. So surprised in fact, that he freezes for a moment, while the rest of the team welcomes the guy properly.

“Good manners, Bokuto, you twat”, a senpai standing to his left elbows him and Koutarou bows more from the impact than anything else.

Sawamura smiles, his eyes finally landing on Koutarou as he bows back to the team.

“Hello. Sawamura Daichi, your new assistant physician. I’m looking forward to working with you,” he says and Koutarou thinks the man hasn’t changed at all since… well, he isn’t exactly sure since when, but he also kind of doesn’t care. Sawamura looks at him one more time, eyes sparkling with something unnamed.

“Please take care of me,” he finishes his introduction, and strangely enough Koutarou wonders if the words are meant for all of them, or only for particular people, ‘particular people’ being him and him only.

***

Familiarity - Sawamura is a familiar face in an unfamiliar environment, and even though Koutarou thinks he is quite good at adapting and making new friends, he still saunters to the benches to prod at the physician. Koutarou asks him about things, about how Karasuno is doing, about life in general. They talk in between practice matches, well, Koutarou does most of the talking, really, but Sawamura listens, laughs at Koutarou’s jokes, praises good plays Koutarou makes and from time to time chastises him for being too reckless.

Sometimes Sawamura seems exasperated, sighs in this annoying, patronizing way that says he isn’t pleased or knits his eyebrows, looking threatening.

Sometimes Sawamura cracks a weird joke or shoots a witty comment and Koutarou can’t stop cackling like a madman because he is both delighted and positively surprised.

Sometimes Sawamura tapes Koutarou’s fingers, all gentle and precise, or measures his blood pressure only to hit Koutarou in the arm, hissing something about irresponsibility and lack of self-care. Koutarou notices the gradual changes in his relationship with Sawamura, familiarity evolving into something more intimate, more comfortable. Sawamura smiles more freely, acts bolder and seems less stressed, at least when they hang out together. But what makes Koutarou pause is the fact that when he feels somehow inadequate and his team notices it, someone always calls for Sawamura. Contrary to a popular belief, Koutarou is aware of the slumps he experiences and the mood swings that come with the package. He is also aware that the number of times he actually felt like untalented shit has dropped considerably since Sawamura started intervening.

And if Koutarou is being absolutely honest, this alone makes Sawamura a great friend material.

***

Koutarou likes the spotlight just as much as he likes not feeling lonely. Unfortunately for him, his new team isn’t Fukurodani - when he basks in the afterglow, he loses potential friends.It frustrates him, angers him, makes him wonder if seniors being mean to him is his own fault. Maybe he isn’t as good at adapting, maybe this is all a big mistake, maybe he should have ditched volleyball years ago.

“Hey, Bokuto, you alright there?” Koutarou looks up from his hands to the face hovering over him, then goes right back to fiddling with his taped fingers. He feels Sawamura’s gaze burn into his forehead. It’s a bit unnerving, but Koutarou doesn’t want to confront anyone right now. The silence stretches and then suddenly Sawamura sits down beside him, their shoulders touching. Koutarou wants to steal a glance, but Sawamura catches him either way. They look at each other for a moment before Sawamura sighs tiredly.

“Show me your hands,” there is professionalism and patience in his tone, so Sawamura-like it almost rubs Koutarou the wrong way, because he wants to be professional and patient too, and he feels like he just can’t.

“No,” Koutarou’s answer is sure to bring out Sawamura’s dissatisfaction with him because the guy doesn’t like childishness and right now Koutarou sounded pretty childish even to himself.

But Sawamura’s discontented grunt never comes. Instead, his hand lands on Koutarou’s knee, palm open and waiting. Koutarou looks up one more time, staring at the other.

“Show me your hands, please?” The other asks with soft, caring eyes, the ones Koutarou had seen earlier. Every time Koutarou thinks a black pit of self-loathing is going to suck him dry, leaving an empty shell without energy, Sawamura is there to look at him in this particular way, kick-starting everything into motion with a couple of gentle gestures, a strong, calming presence, and few good words.

Koutarou complies, putting his left hand in Sawamura’s warm palm. The man starts taking off the tape, eyes focused on Koutarou’s fingers. He doesn’t say a word as if waiting for questions, as if he actually knows that the nervous leg tics indicate myriad things currently happening inside Koutarou’s head.

“Have you ever regretted something really badly?” Koutarou asks, both desperate and curious.

Sawamura hums in affirmation, still focused on what he is doing.

“What did you regret?” Koutarou prods, observing the side of Sawamura’s face.

“At the beginning? Coming to Tokyo and not staying in Miyagi. Landing this job was more stroke of luck than anything else because one of my professors recommended me to our coach. It was a chance so I grabbed it, but at some point I seriously considered quitting. Too much pressure, too many people judging me and waiting for me to slip, new, difficult things to learn, I didn’t know what to do with myself. It felt like everything was against me,” Sawamura’s voice gets a bit shaky at the last syllable. There is something vulnerable about him right now - not weak, not pathetic, but naked and honest.

“Sounds bad, man,” Koutarou muses quietly, wondering just how similar they both are. But one thing still stays unanswered. “What happened? That it made you stay I mean?”

Sawamura chuckles.

“You happened.”

Koutarou lets out a dumbfounded ‘huh?’ then simply stares. This time around Sawamura’s laugh is deep and warms everything around. When he calms down, he continues.

“You always go all out. Surprisingly, even just watching you motivates people to try their best. To actually be the best they can be. It’s hard to admit, but I envy you. We all do. But it doesn’t mean you have to stop doing your thing or that doing your thing, trying to be the best, is bad in any way…” Sawamura trails off, probably noticing the look on Koutarou’s face. When there is no reaction, Sawamura clears his throat and squeezes the hand he is holding, cheeks dusting with pink.

“What I’m trying to say is… Don’t settle for less. For being less than you actually are. Go forward - people will come around,” Sawamura’s voice is quiet but full of conviction. His words ring in Koutarou’s ears, clear and loud, an epiphany of sorts. He catches on the meaning behind his friends’ mysterious smiles when he told them about the way Sawamura influences him. He understands why he is so content with having him near. Koutarou’s chest fills with many things yet he can’t name half of them. His whole body buzzes, he feels like he can do everything.

Koutarou grabs Sawamura’s neck with a free hand, quickly leaning in for a kiss. When they part, Sawamura all big, shocked eyes and rosy cheeks, Koutarou notices his reflection in the brown orbs - his own expression is almost the same. He laughs out loud, resting their foreheads together.

“You came around pretty quickly,” Koutarou breathes out, not breaking the eye contact.

Sawamura slowly wakes up from his dazed state, his face splitting in a wide smile. He pecks Koutarou’s nose, simultaneously tugging at the fingers he already covered in tape.

“I sort of waited for you to come here,” Sawamura whispers and Koutarou closes the distance between them one more time.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a half-accident, half-mighty need. Short, because apparently, I can only write under 2k as of last year.
> 
> [Find me on Tumblr](http://at-the-road-beginning.tumblr.com/)


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